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Happy Birthday today November 23rd
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Favorite Pic of the Day for November 23rd
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Calum von Moger: A Muscular Match
'An athlete wants to win; they would rather win a title in the Olympics and would be happy to die the next day, as long as he wins.'
Joe Weider
Back in the 40's and 50's, Canadian bodybuilder Joe Weider began an entrepreneurial path which led him to be known as the father of bodybuilding. Along with his brother Ben, he co-founded the International Federation of Bodybuilders. In addition, Joe was responsible for the creating the Mr. Olympia, Ms Olympia and the Masters of bodybuilding contests.
Throughout his career Joe published fitness and bodybuilding magazines including Men's Fitness, Shape and Muscle & Fitness as well as manufactured, sold and marketed every sort type of sport and fitness equipment, supplement and nutritional products.
Joe's life, as well as his brother Ben's, is currently being filmed for Bigger, a film from writer and director George Gallo. Joe is being played by actor Tyler Hoechlin with Aneurin Barnard as Ben. Also featured are Julianne Hough, Steve Guttenberg and Colton Haynes as Jack Lalanne. Also in the cast is Australian bodybuilder Calum von Moger taking on the role of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.
'Bigger is the inspirational tale of the grandfathers of the fitness movement as we now know it, Joe & Ben Weider. Battling anti-Semitism/racism as well as extreme poverty the brothers beat all odds to build an empire & inspire future generations.'
Weider is known to have played a key role in the introducing a of young, and relatively unknown weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world. Weider helped bring Schwarzenegger to the States to train and was instrumental in some of his early success including helping him land his first film role, in Hercules In New York in 1970. Upon seeing some recent 'behind the scenes' shots of the cast on Twitter I was inspired to feature more of the blonde hunk in the tight baby blues.
Calum von Moger on Instagram
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A Brief Window: Jake by Stephen Kahrs
'We only could find a brief window in which to shoot.'
I know many photographers spent weeks planning for certain shoots. I know many models like to have weeks to physically prepare for stepping in front of the camera. When however, you have a photographer as gifted as Stephen Kahrs, and a model as naturally captivating as Jake Capelli, sometimes a brief window is all the time that's required.
I am constantly impressed at Stephen's skill at capturing impressive and complete portfolio's for the models that he works with. The Connecticut photographer also often does this with just one shoot, a plain background, and just a couple of different looks. During his brief window with Jake, and just one suit, a red plaid shirt and a pair of jeans, Stephen photographed an array of images from fashion to fitness, and also captured different aspects of Jake' personality and the strength that he radiates in front of the camera.
The results of their creative collaboration are even more impressive given modeling is something relatively new for Jake. Up until recently, his main passion was pursing an acting career, and never really considered modeling seriously until recently. Through his time in high school and college, Jake was often told he should give modeling a try,and was told by a friend that he had 'serious potential' to make it in the industry. You can see the 'serious potential' in the dedicated and professional way Jay approaches shoots, and they way he infuses, and incorporates his main goal of acting within the work.
'I was more focused on becoming the best actor that I could until a friend of mine offered to do a shoot with me and I figured, 'Why not?' Afterwards, friends and family were impressed with the work and I kept pushing forward. I’ve worked with a variety of photographers, mainly for the experience, but now I’m ready to integrate it into my acting career.'
That 'serious potential' is instantly evident when viewing images of Jake, and his acting background has given him a confidence and strength in his work as a model. Jake already looks more than ready to take center stage, or for close-ups on the big screen. The 21 year old actor possesses not only an impressive physique, but as well, the perfect facial structure for a leading man. In addition, Jake's beautiful and determined brown eyes alluringly draw in the viewer, holding their attention. Jake's 'serious potential' was also something Stephen saw from the get go.
'When I first saw Jake's Model Mayhem portfolio back in July I knew that I had to shoot with him, and saw the potential that he had. Much to our dismay, we only could find a brief window in which to shoot. Consequently, the time we shot went fast, however, we produced an abundance of high quality images. Jake first off is an absolute pleasure to work with! His athletic stature and has a well proportioned physique only compliment his skills as a model/ actor. He definitely was attentive to any of my direction as well as any details that may benefit the image. Jake is definitely a fine young man worth any look from an agency!'
'The shoot with Stephen was a lot of fun and I felt very free right away, even though Stephen and I had just met. Although we were also on a short time limit, we were able to get a lot done. I never really have any set poses or looks, but rather, I do what comes natural so the photos do not look so artificial. Stephen was great at this. He would tell me to get into certain poses and and they would work. From those poses I would figure out my own and Stephen seemed to be pleased with them. I would love to shoot with him again in the near future. Usually, If I do a shoot, I just try to free my mind and go with the flow. This helps me to stay focused and not worry about any troubles that may interfere with my mental state. I know I have plenty of room for improvement, but as long as I keep working I’ll be able to improve my skills.'
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Leftovers
The time honored tradition of heading to the fridge naked on Thanksgiving weekend for turkey and stuffing leftovers.
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Happy Birthday today November 27th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for November 27th
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Virgin Islands Pictures: The Process Piece
'Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.'
Arthur Ashe
Some people live their lives through inspirational quotes and messages. I tend to be someone who rolls their eyes, (in spirit only of course) when I enter a room full of posters words of wisdom, usually with a image of a kittens or waves hitting the shore. What is powerful to me, is not reading a quote that inspires me, but discovering a quote by another, that speaks to who I am. Arthur Ashe's quote about the journey describes my life.
Some of you may remember that at one time I pursued acting. It wasn't until my second year at University that I settled upon the safer choice of psychology as my major. My reasons were many, money, security and parental pressure being near the top. Another reason, I have since learned is core part of my being, is that I am rarely satisfied with the payoff. When I was acting, the payoff was finally hitting the stage, the performance. The last piece of the long process of auditions, learning the lines, creating the character and he long hours of rehearsal.
Sonny
Above, Sonny talks on the phone as Calder puts the finishing touches on the lighting and set-up. As you can see from the image below, Sonny looks pretty damn fine from the front. But for this modeling session, it was all about his backside. Sonny's perfect posterior was being used as inspiration for a sculpting workshop.
I finally gave up my desire to act professionally when I figured out that I loved rehearsing far more than I did performing. This theme of enjoying the build-up has followed me through most of my life. I enjoy the weeks before Christmas, more than the day itself, I enjoy the thought of summer coming, more than when it arrives, and I usually love looking forward to social events and time with my family and friends, more than the actual time itself.
I think this part of my personality is one of the reasons I love focusing on the process piece of art. FH viewers know I love 'behind the scene' shots, and a main part of my love of featuring images that I love is learning everything I can about their creation. Most times I feature a shoot, my initial questions are about how it came to be. How model and photographer connected, what the conversations were before hand about concept and theme, the degree of nudity discussed and the goals of each involved.
I first began featuring the work of Calder Van Gough (Virgin Island Pictures) back in 2013. In those first couple of pieces, the models (Julian and Marco) were hot outside. I loved that Calder didn't just capture a series of planned poses, but instead appeared to follow the models he was shooting as they explored their surroundings. Through this process of experimentation, magnificent images were created and captured.
Gareth:
Earlier this year, I featured Calder's shoot in an old abandoned, and visually haunted, house. (The Departed) The male model involved was Gareth, a model the North Carolina artist has enjoyed working with multiple times.
When Calder sent on the images, he included a series of shots of Gareth and other models taken in his sculpture and photography studio in downtown Raleigh.There were also a couple of shots of models posing for sculpting classes. I am always fascinated to interview models who pose nude for groups of people and love images of the process. I asked Calder if he would be ok if used them in a separate piece focused on process.
I know this is Favorite Hunks, but I especially loved Calder's shots of Gareth with a female model, which I included above. I loved the creative and spontaneous feel to the shots. There were also several shots of both models posing with a package of Skittles, something Calder included in many shoots in honor” of Trayvon Martin.
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FaVorite FiVe Danila Polyakov
In all professions there are ups and downs, and model Russian model Danila Polyakov knows this more than most. In 2010, he was featured in some of the worlds top fashion magazines and walking runways all over the globe. A few years later, modeling work disappeared, and Polyakov was walking the streets, homeless, looking for odd jobs to make a few bucks.
I love gingers, and especially love Danila's gender blending fluidity, and his expressive sensuality, not to mention the creative risks he often took in his work. I hope there is another 'up' in his career, if not in front of, then behind the camera so he can continue to express his unique creative vision.
Danila by Ira Bordo
Danila by Alexander McQueen
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Wising Up
'Much beauty in the swamp, if you only look...'
Swamp Thing
I think the first time I saw Ray Wise on screen was during the original airing of Twin Peaks. As Leland Palmer, Wise proved himself an accomplished actor nailing just the right creepy notes as Laura's lecherous father. I can't say I initially thought of Wise as a 'hunk', that didn't occur until this past weekend.
On the set of Twin Peaks
I DVR'd the 1982 camp horror flick Swamp Thing when it aired on TCM movies earlier this month and finally watched it over the weekend. I hadn't known Wise was in the cast and was surprised when he appeared as Dr. Eric Holland, Swamp Thing, pre-swamp. 1982's Wise was adorable.
On stage in Sam Shepard's The Tooth of Crime (1983)
The 'good guy' is not a role I am used to seeing Wise in, and Wise still had a bit of a baby face, more youthful than the usual intense characters he has been playing the last decade or two. As far as Swamp Thing goes, I can't really recommend it. I know I love a movie if I think I would like to watch it again in the future. Although I enjoyed it for what it was, a second viewing isn't in cards.
Wise in Dallas (1982)
Robocop (1987)
Swamp Thing (1982)
Dare The Devil (1969)
Despite my research, about the only shirtlessness I could find was from Wise's big screen debut in 1960's Dare The Devil. I don't much about it, but the poster above sort of gives you a good idea of the tone, and what it's all about. Maybe one of these days I hunt for a copy, looks both disturbing, yet oddly interesting for a retro film.
Recent shot with Steve Burton on The Young and the Restless
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Incredibility Gap
Bodacious butt cleavage
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Favorite Pic of the Day for November 29th
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Edge of the Platform: Nick & John by Richard Rothstein
'If you see a suspicious package or activity on the platform or train, do not keep it to yourself. Tell a Police Officer or an MTA employee.'
TransitTrax
I am not sure Nick and John's packages would be considered suspicious... but I am positive that anyone who got a glimpse or a gander, would be busting to share, and would have a hard time keeping it to themselves.
I know many of you remember Nick from his appearances on FH. New York photographer and aficionado Richard Rothstein captured Nick running, jumping and swinging along the Hudson this past August. (Nick's Riverside Run | Swing along the Hudson) I could tell from the post counts that I was not the only one enamored with Richard's work with Nick.
Following the athletic and energetic model around Manhattan must have been an exhausting task, as Nick was always on the move. Thankfully Richard mustered the stamina to head out one more time before the snow hit, and the cold temperatures would push shooting inside. As you can see from this series, Nick wasn't the only model for Richard to focus on during this shoot, as Nick brought along his friend John for a late night ride on the subway.
The New York subway is as much a symbol of the big apple as any building or location in the city. The tunnels and trains are full of lore, and hold countless stories, fables and mysteries of the undwerworld below. Like the natural lit world above, people move at dizzying speeds, heading down in one area of the city, only to pop up in another completely different location. In many ways the cars below capture a more accurate visual than those traveling above.
Every single day, you know hundreds of New Yorkers share subway stories with their family or friends at restaurants, bars, and at home over the dinner. I would love to hear some of the comments by those watching Richard shoot Nick and John on the subway or the platform at 42 St and Grand Central.
Even with their clothes on, Nick and John would turn heads. Although they started their ride with their white t's on, and jeans up and buckled, it wasn't long into their ride, the shirts came off and their jeans lowered. I didn't ask Richard if they had any passengers follow them out and up at their subway stop, but with a photographer and his camera accompanying the dynamic duo, I am sure some were curious where (and what) they were headed to next.
If any of their co-passengers in the subway car were wondering what Nick and John were up to after they ascended from the underworld to the city streets above, they need only to follow the the rest Richard's visual journey for the revealing conclusion of the subway story below.
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John Macchia in Pink Motel (1982)
On my journey in search of male skin from lesser known films from the 70's, 80's and 90's, I came upon 1982's Pink Motel. The movie poster looked promising, and male nudity was included in a couple of movie reviews and descriptions I read. I should have paid closer attention to the cast list, as Phyllis Diller was one of the stars, which should give you a bit of an indication of the degree of sexual content.
Despite the trailer's promise of 'sexy', the movie played like a slightly raunchier version of your typical Love Boat episode. Several different couples check into the Pink Motel, looking for a little fun and adventure. The movie flips between three or four different stories, none of which were particularly compelling. Although there are a lot shirtless scenes, and an array of 80's style underwear, there wan't a whole lot of nudity.
The one exception was actor John Macchia, whose leopard skin wearing bod, and beefy buns get some brief exposure. Macchia's character 'Skip' attempts to register for a night at the motel with his buddy and their girlfriends. Although they want two rooms, there is just one left with two single beds. After some discussion, they decide to take the room, and hang a sheet up to give each of the couples a little privacy.
Things don't go exactly as planned however, and neither Skip or his buddy end up with much sexual satisfaction. A brief google of Macchia didn't come up with much. In addition to this movie, Macchia's acting resume was scarce, and with the exception of a few movies and TV guest shots in the 80's, he seems to have stopped acting.
Finding out anything about him today was difficult as there are two other actors with the same name, one of whom, was featured in 60's Beach Blanket movies and continued to come up when I attempted to search. If I find out anything further I will be sure to share but for now, enjoy the beefy buns, and brief scene from 1982's Pink Motel.
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My Canadian Boyfriend
Like all world leaders, Justin Trudeau has his fair share of critics, but compared to his counter part south of the border, especially when it comes to social and cultural issues, Trudeau really is a ray progressive light. From the diversity and 50% gender ratio in his cabinet to hitting and walking in as many gay pride parades as he can fit into his schedule. Just yesterday, Trudeau gave an official apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians for the 'government’s role in “the systemic oppression, criminalization, and violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit communities.'
Although I agree Trudeau deserve celebrating, I am not sure how I feel about his 2018 calendar, My Canadian Boyfriend. I suppose it would make a cute joke gift, especially for a aunt or co-worker, but I fear a trend of political figure calendars. I run to press mute every time I hear a certain buffoon speaking on television, I certainly don't want to see most of today's crop political heads on my wall. Unless of course, it comes with darts...
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Happy Birthday today November 30th
Happy 51st to actor Justin Lazard!
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Favorite Pic of the Day for November 30th
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FaVorites: Jonah by Art Lenser
I have been fortunate to be able to feature Pittsburgh's Jonah Model in two pieces over the last two months and his work with MW Photo MD. (Halloween Hotel | On The Rise) Jonah's passion for modeling makes him a natural in front of the camera, relaxed and open to creative collaboration with the photographers he works with.
And who wouldn't want to work with Jonah, in addition to his love and commitment to the work, the 20 year old model has a great body, tall, lean and perfectly suited for both fashion and fitness. Jonah also has a magnificently expressive face, especially his great lips and soulful brown eyes that add a beautiful layer of depth and emotion. One of the first photographers to notice and capture Jonah's with camera is photographer Art Lenser.
'Art and I have a good Chemistry when we shoot because we are laid back in our shoots. We are friends and that helps a lot. We do a lot of shoots for my portfolio which I use when I am seeking various modeling jobs. My work with Art has helped prepare me for working with various photographers.'
Jonah and Art have worked together close to 20 times over the last year, shooting a variety of looks and themes in both studio and on location. I especially loved Art's shots of Jonah on the train tracks, a location I particularly love as a setting for shooting the male form. Given this is Jonah's third appearance on FH, I took the opportunity to throw him my 'favorites quiz, a series of short questions to give viewers a bit more insight and info about the model and man in the images that so many of you have been enjoying.
Favorites:
Nickname you were given: J
Pet you had as kid:fish
Animal:dog
Game to play: Call Of Duty
Sport to play:hoops
Sport to watch:lacrosse
TV show:American Dad
TV guilty pleasure: Jerry Springer
Movie: Platoon
Actor Mark Wahlberg
Actress:Alicia Keys
Role in a movie you would have killed to play:The Flash
Song:Is This Love
Music Group or Artist:Gucci Mane
Food;ribs
Drink:Dr, Pepper
Cartoon Character: Sponge Bob
Celebrity you've been told you resemble:Cody Simpson
Crush you had/have posters of on your wall: Alicia Keys
Favorite modeling image taken of you: The shower pic called rainy days
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New Ways to Dream
'I am a man of few words...but
I show the world new ways to dream'
flondo
'flondo’s elegant, soulful, often erotic, sometimes provoking, always unique pictures have found a voice in K.W.’s lyrical, intricate, sensuous poems. Whether you read, or look, or watch words and images unfolding together as they inspire and complement each other, this dreamy, masterfully composed collection deserves unhurried contemplation.'
flondo may have been a man of few words, but his colorfully magical images spoke volumes. I first discovered flondo's work back in 2012 when I was working on a circus themed day. flondo's imagery fit in beautifully with the theme. I was recently again in contact about a feature focused on some of the historical images he created, using white wigs, cod pieces, and not much more. When my last attempts at contact were not responded to, I checked his Facebook and was sad to read that flondo had died earlier this month. flondo's images were so full of life and dream like fantasy, they reminded me of childhood fairy tales full of puppets that came dancing to life at night when no one was looking. Thankfully, flondo gave us all a peak into the night, and into the moments of magic.
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Seasonal Sightings
Naked waiter/tree trimmer?
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